purr
Americanverb (used without object)
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to utter a low, continuous, murmuring sound expressive of contentment or pleasure, as a cat does.
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(of things) to make a sound suggestive of the purring of a cat.
The new motor of the car purred.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the low, vibrating sound made by a cat by the contracting of the laryngeal muscles and the diaphragm as it breathes.
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a sound resembling this.
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the act of purring.
verb
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(intr) (esp of cats) to make a low vibrant sound, usually considered as expressing pleasure, etc
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(tr) to express (pleasure, etc) by this sound
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of purr
First recorded in 1595–1605; imitative
Explanation
The happy sound a relaxed cat makes is a purr. A purr is low and fluttery, and you can feel it vibrating in the cat's body. Your pet cat purrs, and so do some of her larger relatives, like the puma and the bobcat, as well as the cat-like animal called a genet, raccoons, badgers, tapirs, and even guinea pigs. Scientists aren't entirely sure how a cat purrs, but they do know that felines can either purr or roar, but not both (lions, for example, don't purr). They also suspect that a purr evolved as communication between mother cats and nursing kittens.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A domestic cat's purr reveals much more about its individual identity than its meow.
From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026
Undoubtedly, one sweet tabby will purr its way into your heart and become a “foster fail.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025
Even the Pokémon noises are gently mellowed out in contrast to the coarser, more caterwauling sounds of the games; here the creatures purr, cry, coo and sigh like docile house pets.
From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2024
Until lately, it was widely believed that cats purr as a voluntary response to being happy.
From Salon • Nov. 3, 2023
The purr of engines chases me into the trees.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
